


Pumpkin Soup

by Kalloway



Series: Sparklerift [1]
Category: Gundam 00, Gundam SEED
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 20:22:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13666608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalloway/pseuds/Kalloway
Summary: There was a pumpkin on the table and everyone was staring at it.





	Pumpkin Soup

**Author's Note:**

  * For [taichara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/taichara/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Squashed](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12576728) by [taichara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/taichara/pseuds/taichara). 



> Because.

Shiho blinked as she walked into the kitchen. There was a pumpkin on the table and everyone was staring at it. 

"You don't have to watch it, it's not going to go anywhere," she said as she reached down to her hip to pull 00's haro-frame out of the sling she'd been carrying it in. With everything so tense - and for good reason - she'd started scooping up 00 and taking it with her whenever she had to leave the house. Well, whenever she couldn't just take Exia along with her. 

Now, Exia and Setsuna were just staring at the pumpkin, or had been until she'd arrived. 

"Hey," Exia said with a little wave. There was the tiniest of hesitations before he pushed his chair back and got to his feet. Yes, things had changed a bit, but...

Shiho hugged him tight. 

"Welcome back," Setsuna added. 

Kazuki had one of his larger knifes and also had a tablet out, which Shiho hadn't seen at first. 

"I'm going to make it into soup. And maybe some other things, but I want to try the soup first," Kazuki explained. "I've just never seen one in person before, and Strike just dropped it off..."

"She was laughing," Exia added as he pulled out a chair for Shiho. "We didn't ask."

That was probably for the better, Shiho thought as she sat. She'd at least seen pumpkins before, but it had been awhile. Possibly since childhood and suddenly she wasn't sure if they'd been real pumpkins. 

00 - har00, Shiho had taken to calling it when messaging - fluttered once and then bounced up to sit beside Setsuna. Shiho didn't miss him reaching to put a hand on it. 

"I think you cut the top off first," Shiho said. "And, um..." 

"Yeah, I'm seeing how much the top is," Kazuki replied. He frowned. "I guess it's just the... top part. And if it isn't quite right, we'll figure it out and still get some soup out of it?"

"Figure it out~" 00 echoed with a flap. 

"Um..." Exia had settled back onto his chair and there was a tiny bit of pink on his cheeks. Shiho smiled. She suspected. 

"Mmm?" Kazuki looked over at him and then nodded. "Oh!"

With a swift motion, Kazuki handed Exia the knife. If anyone was going to do the first cut, well, Exia was the perfect choice. 

"Okay..." It didn't take him much effort to cut a circle around the pumpkin's stem, but when he went to pull it free...

"Yeah, we need to do some more work," Kazuki said as he reached to try to pull some of the guts free of the top. "And keep the seeds! They're edible, but Strike wants this batch. We can figure out how to cook the ones from the next pumpkin."

A half-hour later, the kitchen was a disaster. They were all sticky, covered in pumpkin, and certainly not much closer to soup. 

But they were laughing. Shiho was thankful for that. Things were going to get worse before they were going to get better and they all needed this. 

Hopefully the soup would be good, too.


End file.
